The Dutchman Mark Rutte, known for his ability to reason with Donald Trump, will need to mobilize all his diplomatic capabilities to lead NATO in one of the most difficult periods in its history.
The 32 countries of the Atlantic Alliance on Wednesday named the outgoing Dutch Prime Minister, 57, as the next secretary general. He will assume his duties on October 1.
Rutte, who is 1.93m tall, has many nicknames, including “Teflon Mark” for his ability to hold on to power, and “The Trump Whisperer” for Trump’s desire to return to the US presidency after the November elections.
The first quality has helped him to be the longest-serving prime minister in his country. In 2021 he even managed to survive the resignation of his government after a scandal related to social benefits.
The second quality could be crucial at the head of NATO if Trump, skeptical about the United States’ commitment within the Alliance, wins a second term this year.
In 2018, he managed to save a NATO summit by talking to Trump about defense spending. And on a visit to Washington in 2018 he did not hesitate to interrupt him with a resounding “no.”
Rutte also has a “Mr. Normal” image. In addition to cycling to meetings with foreign leaders, he does his own shopping at the supermarket and drives a Saab himself to see the king.
This year, the Netherlands signed an agreement for more than $2 billion of military assistance to Ukraine over ten years. Rutte has also led efforts to equip kyiv with F-16 fighter jets to better defend itself against the Russian invasion that began in February 2022.
“Ukraine must win this war. For its security and ours,” said Rutte, the fourth Dutchman to head NATO.
– “Sr. No” –
His 14 years as prime minister were marked, among others, by the case of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, a plane that in 2014 was shot down by a Russian missile while flying over Ukraine. Among the 298 dead were 196 Dutch.
Rutte recently described Russian President Vladimir Putin as “cold, brutal, ruthless.”
The second longest-serving European leader after Hungarian Viktor Orban was able to convince Turkey and Hungary, the countries most resistant to his candidacy for NATO.
Orban was upset when Rutte said Hungary should not be part of the European Union after adopting a law prohibiting the promotion of LGBTI+ content to minors.
He also once angered southern European countries with his hard line on bailouts during the eurozone debt crisis, earning him another nickname, “Mr. No.”
His political career in the Netherlands has been marred by several scandals.
Last year the sudden collapse of his coalition after a dispute over the right to asylum led to early elections that Geert Wilders’ far-right won.
Rutte is the youngest of seven children. His father Izaak was a businessman. His mother Mieke was the sister of Izaak’s first wife, who died in a Japanese camp during World War II.
Although he dreamed of being a pianist, he studied at Leiden University and ended up working for the Anglo-Dutch consumer products giant Unilever.
His singleness has caused speculation in the media but he has always dodged questions by assuring that he feels “happy.”
He describes himself as a “man of customs and tradition” and has spent his entire life in The Hague, where he teaches on a voluntary basis.
“Mark doesn’t like change, he always wants the same thing,” says Marco Rimmelzwaan, his hairdresser.
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AFP
